Kyocera SGS breaks ground on facility in Cyber Park

Kyocera SGS corporate leadership and local officials from Danville and Pittsylvania County participated Monday in a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a 30,000 square-foot facility in Cyber Park to research, develop and manufacture solid carbide rotary cutting tools.

The ceremony was held seven months after Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that Kyocera SGS Tech Hub LLC, a subsidiary of Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Inc., would invest $9.5 million and bring 35 new jobs paying an average annual salary of $65,000 to Cyber Park in the Dan River Region.

“We are excited to write the next chapter of success stories with our new economic partner, Danville, Virginia” said Jason Wells, president of Kyocera SGS Tech Hub. “The support and investment elected officials have into developing a skilled workforce and engineering technology hotspot truly differentiates Danville and makes it a great place to plant roots and drive innovation. Excellent high school education and trade programs, world class university engineering programs, and supporting industry research groups such as CCAM and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research combine into a tour de force that makes Virginia an integral part of our future.”

RIFA Chairman Sherman Saunders stated, “We say ‘thank you’ to Kyocera SGS Precision Tools for investing in Danville-Pittsylvania County. It gives me great pleasure to know that a globally competitive brand like Kyocera has confidence in developing future products and growing its U.S. presence using home grown talent from right here in the Dan River Region.”

“It is always great when a company decides to grow in our region,” Senator Frank Ruff commented. “It is even better when it is a company that is recognized as a leader in an industry such Kyocera. We look forward to a long future with them in Danville.”

Delegate Danny Marshall stated, “As a member of the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF) Committee of the Tobacco Commission, which awarded a $350,000 grant to Kyocera SGS Precision Tool, it is exciting to be a part of this groundbreaking ceremony and see the progress toward 35 new manufacturing jobs and an investment of $9.5 million in our region. We appreciate Kyocera’s decision to select our area for its U.S. site and wish them the greatest success.”

“The City of Danville takes pride in our ongoing partnership with Pittsylvania County as we participate in the groundbreaking for the new Kyocera SGS facility,” Danville Mayor John Gilstrap said. “We appreciate the company’s investment in the region and look forward to them becoming a vital and successful member of the business community.”

Bob Warren, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, said, “I thank Kyocera SGS Precision Tools for deciding to invest in our community and for developing its Tech Hub in our regional Cyber Park. Kyocera is bringing not only good paying jobs to our region, but is also becoming part of a City and County that are reinventing themselves to meet the demands of 21st century business. I am confident that they will find the conditions necessary to succeed along with a community that truly appreciates them and their industry. Kyocera’s futuristic looking facility, with its prominent location overlooking one of our main highways, will be seen daily by commuting residents and visitors, and will symbolize our collective commitment to move the Dan River region forward.”

Kyocera SGS Tech Hub LLC has been operating for the last seven months out of the Charles Hawkins building on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, which is also home to the Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining. During this time period, Kyocera SGS has completed the design of the new facility, purchased and installed new machine tools and begun hiring new employees to operate the Danville facility.

Last month, RIFA’s board of directors approved Blair Construction’s presentation of the site plan and design of the new facility, which sits on 10 acres along Slayton Ave. This project also qualified for the Commonwealth Opportunity Fund, the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund, and local Industrial Development Grants from Danville and Pittsylvania County.